Three people taken hostage after hotel bus was hijacked at Dublin Airport

and  THREE people were taken hostage when a bus was hijacked at Dublin Airport in the early hours of this morning. Independent.ie understands the shuttle bus belonging to a well-known hotel was stolen from the roadway in front of Terminal 2 around 1am.

Two hijackers locked the doors, effectively trapping the passengers already on board, and took off in the direction of the M1 motorway.

A source said the traumatised passengers were eventually allowed out near Julianstown, Co Meath, a 30-minute drive away. The hijacker demanded money from the victims before they left the mini-bus. They thieves then continued north through Dundalk and across the border into Northern Ireland.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were alerted to the situation – but it is believed the vehicle then diverted back into county Monaghan.

A major garda operation, involving the air support and the armed Emergency Response Unit, swung into operation.

It is understood the bus was crashed but the two men escaped on foot and stole a car.

Gardaí gave chase and two suspects were apprehended.

In a statement to Independent.ie, PSNI confirmed that they «received a report from our colleagues in An Garda Síochána that a stolen transit van had been tracked crossing the border». «Officers observed the vehicle in Crossmaglen Square, and upon police entering the carpark the transit van collided with the police vehicle causing damage to the front of the car,» a spokesperson said. «The transit van then made off from the area and re-crossed the border.

«The PSNI officers were not injured during the incident.

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